High School Sports

Oh, brother, what a game

Howland wins thriller in first meeting of Bubon brothers

WARREN -- It seemed hard for fans not to make the Warren G. Harding-Howland basketball game about the Battle of the Bubons.

Coaches and brothers Dan and Gabe Bubon were facing off for the first time, which made for an interesting plot to the matchup, but the game itself was even more interesting.

The Raiders rallied from a 28-point second-half deficit to tie the game in the final minute, but Howland's Cameron Durig banked in a runner in the lane with 20 seconds remaining, and Harding missed a barrage of 3-pointers in the final seconds as the Tigers held on, 79-77.

It was Howland's first victory over the Raiders in 29 years and stopped a four-game losing streak that was frustrating Dan and the Tigers (4-7, 1-2 All-American Conference, Red Tier).

"That's an unbelievable game," Dan Bubon said. "Cam Durig, that kid works so hard, (but) at times he gets so down on himself. I was so happy he made that game-winning play. He didn't second-guess himself. He went right in, and that's a tough shot he made. It was like a running, pull-up 8-foot bank shot. That's not easy, but he didn't hesitate."

The rest of the Tigers seemed to be hesitating all second half.

They were unconscious in the first two quarters, making 18 of 25 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from 3-point land. Frank Manios was 5-for-5 beyond the arc, and he had 19 first-half points, but he scored just three points the rest of the way. After a 33-point second quarter, Howland seemed to back off from its aggressive style.

The Tigers also struggled against the Raiders' press defense after tearing through it in the first half. They committed 12 of their 16 turnovers in the third and fourth quarters, and suddenly, an ice-cold Harding team (6-7, 2-1) found its rhythm.

"That was just a weird game, and I've got so many things going through my head," Gabe Bubon said. "Looking up and you're down 28 points, and you're just like (wow). Then we get hot, guys are making 3 after 3, and hey, we had a chance and we just didn't get it done."

It wasn't from a lack of shooting, especially by Tye Pennington.

The junior guard made seven 3-pointers -- six in the second half and four in the fourth quarter. The Raiders crept within 17 heading into the fourth quarter after a mini run to end the third. Then Pennington hit nothing but net on three consecutive 3-pointers, igniting a huge Harding student section and pulling the Raiders to 61-55 just one minute into the fourth quarter.

A 17-2 run was finally stopped when Howland's Joey Vitali hit a lay-up, but Harding was now within three at 74-71. After trading a few baskets, Harding's D'Muntize Owens tied the game at 77 with a 3-pointer (Harding was 12-of-40 shooting 3s).

Both teams missed a chance to take the lead before Howland took over with 26.8 seconds left. That set up Durig, who broke free from the press and was open in the lane when he pulled up for the shot.

"I saw everyone was still back on the press, so when I got the ball, I saw the lane, and I knew I was going to get a good shot, so I just took it," said Durig, a junior who scored a career-high 23 points. "…

At first I thought I threw it too hard off the backboard, so I thought it was going to go out. I saw it drop through, and the first thing to go through my mind was, 'Get back on defense because we're only up by two.' "

The Raiders inbounded the ball and raced down the court. They had three opportunities at 3-pointers in the final seconds, thanks to offensive rebounds, but each 3 rattled out, and Durig finally grabbed a rebound as time expired.

Pennington scored 23, Owens had 19 and Dom McGhee scored 10 of his 17 in the fourth quarter for the Raiders. But they shot just 30 of 74 from the field and looked uninspired in the first half, which was frustrating for Gabe.

"We've just got to be ready to play," he said. "It gets old. You say it, you say it, you say it, and they shake their heads like they agree, but if you don't come out and execute it, it doesn't mean anything. Give Howland credit, they had a game-plan and they stuck with it."

The Tigers got big games from Durig, Manios (22 points) and Nathan Barrett, who was one of the only consistent players for Howland in the second half, scoring 11 of his 21.

After Durig corralled the final rebound and the horn sounded, Dan Bubon, a 1991 Harding graduate, raised his arms in victory and pounded the score's table a few times in excitement. There was no glare or sly jab at Gabe. The two slapped hands a few seconds later, and that was the end of the Battle of the Bubons: Part 1.

"The only two people that didn't (want this to be about us) was us," Dan said with a laugh. "We will be more intense about the first time we golf this year, I promise you. People don't get this: During the game, I'm 100-percent about my team and what they're doing. He's 100-percent worried about his team and what it's doing. You never think about who's on the other sideline -- ever."

Gabe, a 1995 WGH grad, agreed about not thinking about the matchup. Well, until after the game.

"Me and Danny competed our whole lives," he said. "We're used to competing in a 1-on-1 type setting. You can jab back and forth at each other. Having everybody else involved, we're both kind of like, 'Oh god, I just want to get this over with.' ... It's cool and all. That was a great atmosphere, but at the end of the day, well, he is 1-0 against me. I've got to live with that. My god."

If the second matchup is anything like the first, it's going to be a fun rivalry.